300 cr JAKFED scam yet to be probed

Srinagar, Sep 29: The authorities here in the Jammu and Kashmir so far have failed to nail the key culprits involved in mega 300 crore JAKFED scam.

Sources told Kashmir News Service (KNS) that though previous government had claimed of handing over one of the biggest scandals in the state running into at least 300 crores in the in Jammu & Kashmir Cooperative Supply & Marketing Federation Limited (JAKFED) to the Crime Branch of India for an in-depth inquiry, but “there was no follow-up, neither the officials nor others involved in the huge embezzlement were taken to task for their misdeeds from the government,” sources maintained.

Sources said that after initial action against some officials, the government had almost discontinued grilling of other suspects named in the case. “The government had slowed down proceedings against influential persons whose names had surfaced in the scams,” sources alleged.
It was on record claimed by the then Minister for Cooperatives that the case has been forwarded to the Crime Branch of India (CBI) for thorough investigation.

Sources said that the case was also investigated by the vigilance organization.
The Pillai commission headed by K.B. Pillai (IAS) had established fake movement of fertilizer and food grains and recommended the termination of those involved in the scam. The commission constituted by the government had categorically said that the scam has surfaced in the JAKFED. Even the house committee in its report was of the opinion that the scam has been found.

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Sources said that the big giants, who are responsible for the scam, were creating hurdles into the investigation so that somehow they manage to move scot-free. “Normally the investigations are time bound so that the culprits are punished under law of the land. But in this case nobody was ready to punish the culprits,” sources said.

The embezzlement of Rs 300 crore was detected by the House Committee of the J&K Legislative Council in JAKFED and the government has on record said that appropriate action would be initiated against the culprits.
The government had said that 21 employees were allegedly involved in the embezzlement and that the timely action on the House Committee report was taken by the department.

Sources said that the House Committee report was forwarded to the Vigilance Organization on May 29, 2015 for intimating whether there were any similarities in the findings of the House Committee. “However the Vigilance Organization had said that there is similarity in respect of the allegations and part of the period mentioned in the House Committee report,” sources maintained.

“The auditors have also in the past pin pointed the irregularities during their course of audit but nothing concrete was done to set right the findings,” sources maintained.

However one of the senior officials of the government told KNS that the case has already been forwarded to the CBI and that action will be taken against all those found involved in the scam.